Improvement in cultivators



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

THROP & 00x

Wheel Cultivator.

Patented Jan. 27, 1863.

E=== E I: E

Inventor:

Witnesses: ;6r .9

'KM.'PHWB-LITH 0. C0. N. Y. (0880 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

THROP & COX

Wheel Cultivator.

No. 37,532. Patented Jan. 27, 1863.

Witnesses- 4 2;???"

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. THROP AND JOHN COX, OFTHREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CULTIVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,532, dated January 27, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JonN A. THROP and JOHN COX, of Three Rivers, in the county of St. Josephand State of Michigan, have inused for the same purpose by withdrawing the;

pins or a, so as to free the intermediate rear shovel-frame, and also removing the front shovel and leg. Fig. 4. is a modification of the laterally-swinging frame shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate corresponding parts. A is a frame for supporting the fixed cultivator-legs B B. This frame may be rectangular in form, or have its sides stand oblique, as represented. The legs B B are hung to the frame on pivot-bolts O G, and are stayed firmly by means of bracerods D D, which hook to the front of the legs and are confined in metal ears E E by means of wooden pins F F.

It is desirable to have the shovels, which are on the bottom of the legs, stand parallel with the tongue G of the machine; and to attain this end on a V-frame we employed in a former [patent of ours wedge-blocks of metal or wood, as shown at b b,- but the same end may be attained, but not with so great strength in the side timbers of the frame, by cutting bevel-sockets in the frame and setting square or other suitable shaped blocks in the positions occupied by the bevel-blocks b b. It is also desirable to have the legs B rigid under ordinary circumstances; but in the event of the shovels striking a stump or stone it is important that the legs turn on their pivot-bolts, and to secure this we have devised in our former patented cultivator and in this wooden pins and metal cars, so that the stay-rods may break their connection with the ears and move with the legs at such times as may be necessary in order to obviate the breaking or injury of the shovels. The shovels and their legs are arranged to one side and in rear of one another, starting on opposite sides of a front central leg and shovel, as represented.

The cultivator thus far described is about the same as our patented cultivator, and it may be mounted upon a crank-axle and wheels orbe otherwise arranged, as circumstances may require.

To add to the efficiency of cultivators in general, and especially to our patented cultivator, we have contrived the followingimprovements.

H is a flexible frame with extension-handles c c. To the cross-bar of this frame two metal ears, 6 c, are fastened, and on these cars two shovel-legs, I I, are hung by means of pivots ff. From metal ears gg on the frontot' these legs stay-rods h h extend forward. Wooden pins 'i i are used to fasten the rods to these ears. This flexible or jointed frame is pivoted toa cross-bar, A, of the frame A, as indicated atjj, and the stay-rods It h are also pivoted to this cross-bar, as shown at 70 k.

In order to support and guide the rear ends of thejointed frame H, bars A A are placed across the frame A, the said bars being placed one underneath thejointed frame and the other on top of the same, as shown in Fig. 2. By this arrangement the frame H is kept from vertical movement, but has freedom to move on the pivotsjj to the right and left when the operator imparts such movements to it. The pivots of the stay-rods allow them to swivel or accommodate themselves to these movements of the frame and the shovel-legs attached to them. The relative positions of the two sets of pivotsjjlck and the pointsm m of theframe H insure a constant unchanging set ofthe shovel-legs with respect to the line of draft or the tongue of the machine whenever the frame H is shifted to the right or left.

In order to keep the flexible frame steady and rigid with the frame A A during the use of the cultivator in seaming ground for wheat planting, stop pins a a are inserted through holes provided in the cross-bars A A and in the side bars of the frame H, as shown in Fig. 1. The pins 00 a are removable at pleasure in order that the machine may be used for culti= vatiug young corn.

-and shovel of the cultivator are removed in growing corn might haveits two frontlegs and .to wooden pins of ears gg, said pins and ears being so constructed with respect to the rods as to allow the rods a chance to accommodate to the slide H. To the center of the slide H 'lmving its fulcrum and'support on the under cross-bar, A as shown. The slide is con vby means of slots n n and screwbolts o 0, as

does not answer the two purposes of working summer fallow and preparing the ground in seams for sowing wheat, and also for cultivat- In cultivating ground for wheat-planting, the cultivator is used just as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, and thus used it equally seams the ground and leaves no large outside seams, such as would be left were not the shovels ot' the flexible orjointed frameintrod uced between the hindmost and central front shovel in the manner shown.

Now, in cultivating young or growing corn it is essential to have the shovels of the jointed frame H under control, so that stalks out of the line of the row may be cultivated without being injured. To this end we have pivoted the frame H and the stay-rods of the legs thereof,'and by removing the pins a a the operator can swing the frame and shovels to the right and left, so as to clear the straggling stalks; and to relieve the operator of the weight of the frame H and its attachments we have provided the supporting and guide bars A A for the frame H.

It should be remembered that the front leg cultivating growing corn, as shown in Fig. 3. My cultivator in its use for cultivating shovels, as shown at l I, Fig. 3, attached by pivots to a slotted slide, H, and in that casethe stay-rolls h h extend forward and fasten them selves to the lateral movements im parted a longlever-handle, c, is pivoted, said handle nected to the under side of the cross-bar A represented. This arrangement is not so convenient as that shown in Fig. 1, because it ing young corn; but still it contains one part of our invention-via, the combination oflateral movement, swiveling stay-rods, pivoted legs for shovels, and wooden pins-and there fore we have shown it in this connection. I

By examining Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be seen that the legs of the shovels on the frame H are pivoted to the handles 0 0 instead of to the cross-piece connecting thesehandles. With this arrangement the stay-rods are to be attached to the'cross-barA by the same pivots that fasten the side pieces of the frame H. This plan we do not regard as good as the plan shown in Fig. 1, because it renders a turn or twist of the legs and shovels out of line with the tongue of the machine when the frame H is moved laterally to the right and left. It, however, operates to a certain extent on the same principle as plan Fig. 1.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, i.-:- i

1. The arrangement of the shovel-legs o pivots, in combination with a laterally-adjustable frame or its equivalent, swiveling conmeeting or stay rods, and yielding connections or wooden pins, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein described.

2. The flexible or jointed frame H, or its equivalent, in combination with the swiveling stay-rods h, legs I I, cross-bars A A A and the cultivator A, all constructed substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

3. Adapting the cultivator to the double use of seaming and billing by the combination of astiif frame, ajointed pivoted frame, H, and adjustable stops or pins to a, substantially as set forth.

4. The jointed frame H, in combination with a rigid frame, when the frame H is pivoted at its frontends and supported by a guide at its rear end, substantially as described.

5. The arrangement of the stay-rods h and the legs I I, in combination with a frame, H, which turns on different fulcra from those on which the stay-rods turn, substantially as set forth.

JOHN A. THROP. JOHN COX.

Witnesses:

H. G. HUTGHINSON, E. H. LOTI-IROP. 

